Planning Your Wedding - Part 4

The Lead Up to the Wedding

The final 6 weeks before the wedding is the most stressful for any couple.   All those plans that you have been putting into place now need to be pulled together.

I am going to give you a few hints and tips to make this time just a little bit easier.

• Forget the previous lists that you have done, and create a new one!   you might want something like this:

Dress fitting appointment made
Dress fitting -  let everyone know that needs to be there
• Shoes found 
• Shoes bought 
• Underwear search done 
• Underwear bought 
• Make up purchased
• Rings ordered 
• Rings collected
• Groom and Groomsmen outfits ordered and fitted 
• Marriage licence 
• Officiant booked/confirmed
• Venue for both ceremony and reception confirmed (by phone if you like) 
• Timings checked and finalised
• Reception - food chosen and confirmed 
• Cars booked and confirmed 
• Flowers chosen and confirmed 
• Cake Chosen and confirmed 
Invitations sent and system to collect RSVPs in place
• Photographer booked and confirmed
Hen night and stag night arranged
Gifts for bridesmaids
• Flowers for mothers ordered (optional)
• Evening entertainment booked/confirmed
• Hair Trials booked 
• Fake Tan appointments booked (don't forget to have a trial run approx 6 weeks before so you can check that the colour of the tan is right) 
• Nail Appointment booked
• Make up trial booked
• Honeymoon confirmed (if applicable) 
• Glass of something strong and preferably of the alcoholic nature in hand after you have ticked stuff off this list! :D 

I always find it useful to colour code it so that you can see at a glance what you have completed.   Like this

Dress fitting appointment made
Dress fitting -  let everyone know that needs to be there
• Shoes found 
• Shoes bought 
• Underwear search done 
• Underwear bought 
• Make up purchased
• Rings ordered 

Red = Urgent   Amber = Needs to be done soon   Green = done

The most important thing is to make sure you make a start on the confirmations and appointment bookings as soon as possible, so in the case that anything might have to be changed then you will have plenty of time to do this.    Many brides will employ a wedding coordinator at this point as it can be very overwhelming to try and pull it all together, especially when you are working full time and it feels that there just isn't enough time in the day.  This is also the time when you as a couple need to spend as much quality time together as possible without discussing wedding plans.

Delegation is something that you really need to do at this point, you will be surprised at just how many people are willing to help out at this time, even if it is a small task.  You don't have to do it all by yourself! 

This is the time that should also be the most exciting, you have your hen/stag nights to enjoy with your friends and its a great time to let your hair down and have some fun.   

You will be starting to receive some wedding gifts from your guests, either write your thank you notes now or make sure that you have a list of who sent you what and when.   Never send a generic thank you note, always make it personal, don't forget that person has given some thought and effort into choosing your gift, returning the favour in your personalised thank you notes is the least you can do.   You don't have to start these before the wedding itself, it's something that can wait until after the wedding.   

Most of all its important that you stay organised and relaxed, if something does go wrong, take a deep breath and relax, don't go off in a panic as you will most likely make a rash decision that could be worse in the long run.

Next Week: 

Planning Your Wedding - Part 5    The Wedding Day